The Worth of One Life
by Tasogare-Taichou
Summary: How much can safeguarding one life be worth? SasuNaru


Title: The Worth of One Life  
Fandom: Naruto  
Pairing/Character: SasuNaru  
Rating: PGish  
Warnings: V. sad fic, guys.

The dank cold of the cell seemed to seep into his very bones, not that he'd expected anything else. No jailer was likely to give much quarter to prisoners who were sentenced to die with the morning's light. Shivering slightly, he craned his ears for the faint sounds that would herald the morning, only to sigh and close his eyes as only silence greeted his query.

Bruised eyes blinked open as the night's stillness was broken by a startled yelp, followed by a thud, blinking in the darkness as they tried to peer through the veil of half-sleep. A similar muffled thud translated itself through the thick stone of the walls, it's faint echo spreading into a slithering sort of sound, as though something had impacted the wall and slid down. Blinking in the dimness, the young man shifted slightly, the stubborn kinks in his shoulders protesting as he did so, stiff muscles resisting the little bit of motion the chains allowed. Across the stone floor, past the shaft of moonlight that spilled in through a single barred window, he could see an equally-faint band of light play beneath the heavy iron door, it's golden shine broken by shadows as someone stepped closer. Hearing sharpened by years spent as a shinobi registered the clink of metal upon metal, the quiet jingling of keys as someone - likely whomever had knocked out the two ANBU guards posted outside his door - appropriated the metal ring from it's former owner.

He shifted again, biting back a curse as the motion wrenched his shoulder, and raised his head as best he could with the heavy metal weight of the shackle around his neck. There was the sound of bolts sliding, metal creaking as the key turned in the lock and the thick slab of metal scraped across the stone to send the golden shaft of light gliding across the floor, playing across the thick patterns of ink etched into the flagstones. Tugging against the thick chain attached to the front of the shackle, the chained man watched as the beam of light widened, only to be blocked by another figure as someone stepped through the door, pushing it closed behind themselves to once more plunge the room into darkness.

No matter, his eyes would adjust. And besides... he already knew who it was, sneaking into his cell like this. Heaving a sigh, the former ANBU raised an eyebrow slightly with as much of a shake of his head as his confinement would allow.

"Idiot. You shouldn't have come."

Sasuke scoffed, crimson eyes narrowing slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. The simple fact that the blond could sit there in chains and call _him_ an idiot was only one more mark against Naruto's intelligence, in his opinion. Pressing lips together against a sigh, the last Uchiha studied his former teammate, sharp eyes taking in the thick chains that led from upper mounts in the walls, stretching down over rough stone bricks to loop through the rings fastened to heavy shackles. The other man couldn't have been comfortable, arms outstretched and pinioned up against the wall by the chains, almost a mockery of a crucifixion. The position itself looked painful, and it was a cold night for one to be shirtless, even a prisoner.

He knew why, of course. The reason was the same as that which explained the extra coils of metal, the wide collar with it's short length of chain that kept the prisoner upright, like a leash on a dog, fastened to another thick ring welded to the wall. It was the same reason that was behind the large and intricate seal painted in blood-red ink on the stone floor, similar seals marking their way around every shackle and tracing a double-ringed pattern around the now-visible seal on Naruto's stomach. _That_ was why the chakra felt so different, with not only the Kyuubi, but Naruto himself sealed down as helpless as a child. Sasuke bit back the faint growl that rose in his throat - it wasn't_right_ to see Naruto like this, not even fighting his captivity - and took a step forward into the light, emotionless face staring down into those familiar blue eyes.

"Why? You could have just let it happen, you know. Acted like a shinobi, and not like a child."

The words were harsh, biting, but beneath them there was an undertone of something else. Something almost desperate, as though the one who spoke them _needed_ to hear the answer to his question, needed to hear it not simply to satisfy a curiosity but for some deeper and more profound meaning. He watched as Naruto raised his head again, defiance gleaming in tired blue eyes set amidst tired bruises, lank blond hair half-shading the Jinchuuriki's expression from him.

"Shut up, Teme. You're one to talk about doing stupid shit. Besides... it wasn't your choice."

That wasn't the answer he wanted, that much was obvious to Naruto as he watched the black-haired former Akatsuki's eyes narrow, Sasuke's lip curling up in a snarl before one arm shot out, fingers wrapping around the heavy links of the chain at the front of his collar. With a grunt of pain as Sasuke jerked the chain up, forcing Naruto's head up with it, he fastened a glare on the other man through dirty blond bangs, teeth gritted against the discomfort. Sasuke could be a real dick at times, even when Naruto knew perfectly well that his friend - he would always consider Sasuke that, no matter what - was only trying to deal with feelings and emotions he wasn't comfortable even _having_.

"Stop... choking me... you asshole."

There was a long pause before Sasuke relaxed his hold, spinning red irises boring into sky-blue. Why? Why couldn't the blond shinobi have this kind of attitude in regards to his own incarceration? It wasn't normal, wasn't like Naruto to simply sit and accept the fate that had been dealt him. It wasn't in his nature to quietly agree, standing there stone-faced as the council passed their judgement against him. No, Naruto would have fought back. Would have argued and yelled and caused such a ruckus that Tsunade herself would have to call him to order.

"It wasn't _your_ choice, Dobe! You had no right to get involved."

His voice came in an angry hiss as his mind recounted the events that had now shaped their individual destinies. Not too long ago, it had been him in this same cell, though the precautions placed on him had been much less severe. After all, he wasn't a Jinchuuriki. He was simply an Uchiha, and while that in and of itself was enough to worry most people, _he_ wasn't as much of a threat. He'd been willing to take the punishment. It was a decision he'd made long before that day, when he'd made a mistake. When the ANBU had finally caught up to him and he'd been unable - or perhaps unwilling - to fight back anymore. It was a decision that he'd made even before he'd taken Uchiha Madara's eyes in the aftermath of that battle that no one save the two who now stared at each other in the cell really knew the ins and outs of. They'd both been there, him on the sidelines mostly, until he'd realized where he ought to have been standing all along.

He'd taken the dead Akatsuki's eyes, despite his own protests and amidst Naruto's insistence when the other man had learned that doing so could alleviate the encroaching blindness that threatened to steal Sasuke's sight from him, even though he'd known it would matter little. Either way, it had shut Naruto up for the time-being._He'd_ known better, and perhaps the sudden realization of that had been the cause for the almost betrayed look on the blue-eyed one's face when his former teammate had been marched into Konohagakure with a double-platoon of ANBU escort and immediately slated for execution for the crime of being an Akatsuki.

Naruto hadn't understood. But he had. Or at least... he'd thought he had.

"Yes, I did."

Narrowing his eyes at Naruto's still-defiant retort, Sasuke resisted the urge to shake the other man. It had been_Naruto_ he hadn't counted on. When the newly-promoted ANBU had kept his distance from the prison, Sasuke had assumed it was out of hurt. Out of an unwillingness to watch his former friend thusly. He hadn't known what was really going on. But then, no one had. Not until the outburst in Tsunade's office and the sudden explosion that had rocked Konoha. And even then, it wasn't until he'd stumbled, half-blinded by the flames and nearly deafened from the noise, that he'd understood what had happened.

"You're a fool, Naruto. Don't you realize what you did? What you _cost_ yourself?"

Dropping the chain, he raised his chin in a scoff, shaking his head slightly.

"What about that old dream of yours, huh? Weren't you going to be Hokage? You think that'll happen now? After this?"

The barb somehow failed to find it's target, as Naruto simply gave a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. Hokage? No... that couldn't happen now. And somehow... that fact no longer bothered him.

"Don't be an idiot, Teme. Besides... it was worth it."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he gritted his teeth. Idiot! It wasn't worth it, not at all! Growling, he tossed the ring of keys onto the stone floor in front of the bound Jinchuuriki.

"It wasn't worth it, you moron. So what, you're just going to sit here and die because of it? And you call yourself a shinobi?"

_Something_ had to work. Had to strike that pride, ignite that temper. Otherwise... no, he wouldn't consider the other option. This was one chance, and for once he wasn't going to do the selfish thing and think only of his own welfare. Standing there, he listened to the slow drip of the rain outside for a long few minutes before Naruto shook his head slightly.

"No... because it's the right thing to do, Sasuke."

He didn't expect the Uchiha to understand. And honestly... whether Sasuke said it or not, he knew perfectly well what the dark-haired shinobi was here for. Why Sasuke seemed so determined to piss him off, and indeed... why Sasuke had bothered to break into the prison in the first place. He may have been dumb at times, but in this instance it wasn't difficult at all to follow the other man's thought process.

_No... we can't just run together, Sasuke. It doesn't work that way._

Shifting slightly, he craned his neck painfully to look up at the sliver of moon shining through the slit of a window. It was hanging lower in the sky, almost at a point where his vision couldn't capture it anymore. Swallowing past the lump in his throat that he was determined to ignore, Naruto raised an eyebrow before fixing Sasuke with a sad, wistful smile. It would have been nice, no matter how wrong it may have been, to let the other do what he'd come for. To let Sasuke unlock the chains - not that he had any idea what the Uchiha had planned to do about the heavy seals - and take his hand, vanishing into the wide expanse of the world where they could leave everything behind.

_But it wouldn't be that way... would it?_

Even as his subconscious asked the essential question, he knew it wouldn't be. He'd never hear those words from Sasuke, and maybe... he didn't need to. The fact that the black-haired avenger was here at all spoke volumes enough for the things they'd always left unsaid. Coughing slightly to clear his dry throat, he nodded his head carefully towards the window.

"You should go, you know. They'll rotate out soon."

He watched with baited breath as Sasuke seemed to consider his words, fearful for a moment that common sense wouldn't win out. That Sasuke would act like _him_. Frowning, blond brows drawing together in a scowl, he hissed another warning at the Uchiha, voice tense with something akin to fear. Sasuke had to understand, he _had_to leave. Otherwise... otherwise it would have all been for nothing, and Naruto honestly didn't know if he could face the morning knowing that.

"Go, teme! _Please!_"

For a long moment, Sasuke stood there, studying the tense, frightened blue eyes in a haggard face. It was cruel irony that the last time he'd likely see those eyes, they'd be filled with such an emotion. But then, Naruto had always been too emotional. Gritting his teeth, he slammed a fist into the wall before reaching forward to cup the other man's face in his hands, leaning in for a kiss that was little more than a rough brush of lips against dry, chapped ones. Nothing like what he could only now admit to himself he'd always wanted to do, but there was no more time. Pressing his forehead against Naruto's for a brief moment, the black-haired man closed his eyes in silent homage to what could have been, had things been different, before stepping back and slipping out the door.

Naruto felt his muscles relax from the stunned tension Sasuke's kiss had brought, sagging against his own weight, the only thing holding him up the chains that bound him to the wall. Only now, when he was alone again, could he allow the tears to flow. Tears not only for himself... but for those who had suffered because of him.

His memory had been blurry at first, everything bleeding into a fearsome red haze of mental miasma that he recognized all too well. He'd experienced it before, and he knew what it meant. It was only when his vision had cleared, and he'd been faced with the destruction, that he'd realized what he'd done. All he could remember was the shouting. Her voice, his voice, both rising in pitch as he'd tried - unsuccessfully - to turn the tides, to plead the case of his dearest friend, to convince them that there was another way. He remembered the way she'd slammed her fist down on the table, with a sort of finality she rarely used... and then the red. The next clear memory that he had was of the taste of dirt in his mouth. Dirt and blood, as the hard heel of someone's shoe ground his face into the hard ground. He'd panicked at first, limbs not obeying him as he'd tried to push against his 'assailant', only to feel the cool kiss of steel at his throat. Not that it had mattered, as neither arms nor legs would obey him, and it was only upon his relaxation - when he was allowed to turn his head - that he'd realized his 'assailants' were none other than a half-dozen ANBU.

Everything else had remained a blur, as he'd slowly raised his head to take in the flames, the charred remnants of buildings. The sounds of those wounded, crying or screaming amidst the smoke and debris. His blood had run cold as his stomach turned when he'd realized what it meant; realized what he'd done. Perhaps it was a lingering mark of compassion that the ANBU holding his head down had been courteous enough to shift him when he'd promptly emptied the contents of his stomach into the churned earth, but that hadn't changed the reality. He'd stood there, shaking and in shock, listening with hollow ears as they'd passed judgment on him. And even when that had sunk in... he hadn't fought. Because he couldn't. He couldn't argue against the punishment, against their decision. Not in light of what he'd done, in light of the tragedy that had been caused by his own selfishness. That sort of person... couldn't be Hokage.

It had seemed strange at first, though they'd attributed it to shock - he'd overheard them talking, and most of them seemed to agree that it was a shame. He'd had so much potential - that the reality of the situation didn't seem to bother him. His dreams shattered, his friends turned against him... it should have mattered more than it did. And if they'd asked him, he would have told them the same, all the while knowing that there was one single thing that made it all worthwhile.

_He_ was alive.

That was the realization, more so than any others, that broke through to him. At least knowing that... he could go to his punishment with a clear heart, knowing that the one person who meant more to him than anyone else, would keep living. That had to be worth something, right? Sighing, he leaned back as much as he could against the rough bricks of the stone wall, the back of his head resting rather uncomfortably against the iron ring as he watched the sliver of sky through the window begin to lighten. Somehow, the fact that this would be his last sunrise struck a chord in him, and he closed his eyes, letting another single tear slide down his face as he marveled at the sudden poignant beauty of it all, fixing his last glance of dark hair and scarlet eyes in his mind.

_It was worth it, Sasuke... No matter what anyone says... it was worth it._

No one stopped him on his way out - mostly because they didn't recognize him, too caught up in rebuilding that which one of their own had destroyed, and too preoccupied with the far-reaching ripples that one act had caused. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was presumed dead in the chaos. Either way, he stopped only momentarily as he left the village, to turn crimson gaze stoically on the carved visage of the mountain. There would be other heads carved there, over the years to come. Other leaders who would leave their mark on this place. But the one who in his opinion was most deserving of such an honour would never see it come to pass. He would die as an animal. A danger to the village, one who had only served to remind all who'd once loved him of horrors they'd thought forgotten.

Shaking his head, Sasuke pulled the cloak up higher around his face. He'd thought about staying. About watching, concealed in the shadows, up until the last moment. Of doing something, _anything_ to try and change the outcome. But that wasn't what Naruto wanted, and as much as he cursed the blond for it - and himself, for his own weakness - he couldn't bring himself to sully the small bit of peace that it seemed the Jinchuuriki had managed to find in these last moments. It was a waste. A waste of life, of potential... of a treasure that Konohagakure wouldn't even realize they were throwing away. That _he'd_ thrown away. Gritting his teeth, the lone Uchiha continued down the road, shaking his head slightly.

_It wasn't worth the cost, dobe... __**I**__ wasn't worth it._


End file.
